Rust Removal: Do I Need a Professional?

Rust Removal: Do I Need a Professional?

Some detailing work can be done on your own. For very simple touch-ups, especially interior touch-ups, a little elbow grease and some fairly standard supplies are all you need.

However, for more advanced work like rust removal, it is often useful to hire a professional. Angie’s List has a good article here outlining some reasons why you might not want to detail your car on your own: “By hiring an auto detailing company,” they write, “you can largely avoid the possibility of damage to your vehicle as well as protect its appearance and value.”

This car is a lost cause…

One thing car owners can definitely do—and should do—on their own is try to prevent rust from forming. Washing your car is always important, but it’s especially important in the wintertime. As this Capitol Shine blog post argues, “The sand, grit, slush, and snow mixed with road salt,” combined with rapid changes in temperature, are “exactly what will make your vehicle rust.” Make sure you even rinse areas that are difficult to reach, like the undercarriage and the insides of the wheel wells.

If your rust problem is light enough and in the right place, you might be able to take care of it on your own. In this video from eHow Auto, Advanced Detail owner Karen Mecham shows you how to remove small patches of rust from unpainted metal bumpers. All you need to buff them out is fine steel wool, glass cleaner, buffing compound, and a microfiber towel. When doing rust detailing work on your own, try it first on a small area, like the corner of the bumper, and make sure to stop if you see you’re scratching the metal.

However, if you don’t have these supplies (or the time to use them), or if the rust is on more parts of the car than just the bumper, it might be worth hiring a professional auto detailing service. When you hire a professional auto detailing service like Chase Detailing, you can rest assured that rust and other issues with your car’s appearance are being fully and carefully dealt with. If you’ve decided you can’t detail your rusty car on your own, and you’re in the Norman/Oklahoma City area, why not contact us today?